This is my kind of cocktail — a new experience that’s a mixture of pristine nature and history. I’m drunk on travel here at Hailes Abbey in the Cotswolds, where the tweets are from birds instead of politicians. This Abbey was built with Cotswolds stone in the 13th century, and it was a pilgrimage site for almost 300 years — until King Henry VIII tore it down during his Suppression of the Monasteries.
What about you? Please share your own “drunk on travel” cocktail.
Hello from Bristol! This is a city that we haven’t covered in past editions of the Rick Steves Great Britain guidebook — but I’m writing it up now, starting with a fascinating sight: Brunel’s SS Great Britain.
This massive ship was built here in the 1830s, when Bristol was Britain’s gateway to the Atlantic and a critical link between London and New York City. The SS Great Britain is a museum now, serving up lots of Industrial Age thrills. If you visit, be sure to tour more than just the hull. Inside, you’ll experience a snapshot of life on board, 175 years ago.
By the way, Bristol is like Belfast, Glasgow, and Liverpool — one of those rusty old port towns that are now emerging with a special creative energy, and well worth visiting. When I first researched and wrote my original Britain and Ireland guidebooks 25 years ago, I didn’t cover these cities at all. But in the last generation, they’ve all emerged as important destinations — and they are well-covered in my guidebooks. A guidebook is always a work in progress, and we keep hard at it, so you’ve got the very latest to design the smartest trip.
It’s the first full day of my summer trip to Europe, and I’m on a natural high. (No, it’s not last night’s snuff!) Here, at the ancient baths that gave this city its name, I’m learning a lot — and just taking it all in: the music (Hallelujah!), the medieval minster, the nice light, and a great local guide.
Join us now as Mike shares some of Bath’s many-layered history, beginning with 2,000-year-old Roman lead and some green muck.
My guide today was Mike James. To get the absolute most out of each of my days researching and updating my guidebooks, I generally work with two guides every day: one in the day and one in the evening. If I like the guide, I list them in the next editions of the books so others can enjoy their services, too. Mike’s a good Blue Badge guide in Bath who charges £150 per half-day (mike@mikejames.org).
After a quick trip home, I’m back on the road again, diving headlong into Part II of my 2019 travels.
I’m kicking off the second half of my 100 Days in Europe series in Bath, England. And to celebrate on my first night here, I thought I’d try something new. Join me in this clip as I sample a bit of the complimentary snuff that’s offered at the Star Inn. It’s just a little tobacco twinkle, right out of my very own anatomical snuff box.
Even in a touristy town like Bath, you can find a good spit-and-sawdust pub with no screens and no music — just chat and a convivial vibe, where the stray tourist is a welcome guest.
I love London’s Heathrow Airport, and I was happy to spend a couple of hours there as my spring trip wrapped up, just getting a bit of work done before my flight home to Seattle.
Stay tuned — because soon enough, I’ll be heading out again. Next up: guidebook research in England and three new TV episodes, high in the Alps.